Monday, April 16, 2012

Guinness World Record Face-Off: Me vs. Mr. Giggles the Clown

In
the 55 years that people have been setting and breaking Guinness World
Records, we've seen some pretty epic displays of one-upmanship. Some of
the most captivating talent categories have even become battlegrounds
for intense rivalries. And just last week, a new rivalry was born.

Me vs. Mr. Giggles the Clown.

Not to be confused with
countless other clowns who call themselves Mr. Giggles, this Mr. Giggles
also happened to be the World Record holder for the ‘Most High-fives in
a Minute’. As someone with an incurable fear of huggers, the high-five
has always been my go-to greeting. My technique a point of pride. And
I've been wanting to break a world record, any record, for a very long
time. In other words: it was on.

There were only three rules. You can't high five the same person
twice. High fives had to be over the head and slap the hand. And if you
missed a hand, you could slap it again. No problems there.

On
April 19th, also known as National High Five Day, I got to work. My
team at Spike set everything up in advance. A line of people waited
with hands raised, and the Guinness World Record adjudicator was
on-hand. 23 seconds later, I blasted Mr. Giggles into anonymity with a
grand total of 107 high fives. His previous record? 101 high
fives.

Hi! I'm Katie Linendoll and I am a sports-tech contributor to ESPN, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. I also am a regular tech contributor on the Today Show and I host a show on Spike TV. I have a degree in IT new media from Rochester Institute of Technology.

I am blessed with the ultimate dream jobs. Whether I am jetpacking across the Pacific Ocean, discovering new telepresence robots that are changing healthcare or interviewing amazing personalities such as Jamie Foxx, John Cusack, Gabby Douglas or RG3, I'm continually exploring how everyone's lives intersect with technology. I am always on the hunt to find the latest and greatest in tech, so be sure and tune in or log on to follow my latest discoveries.